Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin

Osteoma in the oral cavity of a striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Rachel Durrwachter — 2026-08-31

Tumors in skunks are not well-documented in the literature and are thought to occur relatively uncommonly. During an annual physical examination of a three-year-old, female, captive, education-program skunk at Mercer County Wildlife Center in New Jersey, two hard, spherical masses were found on the lateral gingiva of each maxilla. The right mass measured approximately 8 × 8 ×15 mm, and the left mass measured approximately 5 × 5 × 5 mm. The masses were pedunculated, and the degree of invasiveness could not be determined on pre-surgical radiographs. The masses were easily removed, and post-removal radiographs showed minimal bone lysis. Histopathology revealed an unencapsulated, but well-defined osteoma composed of organized trabeculae of woven bone in a loose connective tissue matrix. No such neoplasm in the oral cavity of a skunk has been recorded previously in the literature.

Weasels, minks and fishers—orphan rehabilitation of the slinky carnivores, Part 2: care protocols for orphaned infants and Juveniles

Peggy Popp — 2025-08-13

Mustelids are highly specialized, efficient predators with special care needs while in a rehabilitation setting. The following intake and orphan care protocols for select North American mustelids is a combination of natural history, literature review, established orphaned wildlife rehabilitation procedures, professional consultations and personal experience. The protocols address some of the unique characteristics and requirements of these slinky carnivores, while also providing tools necessary for successful rehabilitation and release. Part 1: Natural History (Popp 2024) discusses the natural history of North American weasels, minks and fishers, including physical characteristics, habitat and diet, and how these factors may be used to inform their intake and care protocols when brought into the rehabilitation setting. Part 2: Care Protocols for Orphaned Infants and Juveniles discusses vetted care protocols for orphaned weasels, minks and fishers based on their natural history and established orphaned wildlife rehabilitation procedures. Part 3: Pre-Release Conditioning and Release discusses the steps involved in preparing these species for a successful release.

Post-mortem examination and histopathological analysis of tissues collected from infant eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) in rehabilitation

Pauline Kosmal — 2026-09-22

Young eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) are commonly admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centers and often carry a guarded prognosis, even those who appear healthy on admission. For this research, necropsies and histopathological analysis were performed to attempt to determine the cause of death of infant eastern cottontails who died suddenly in care without clinical signs of illness. A total of 26 cadavers were collected in 2022 and 2023, with an average body weight on admission of 76.8 ± 4.4 g. Freeze-thaw artifacts and cell autolysis limited findings in the tissues. However, pre-mortem lesions were found in the heart (n = 5), liver (n = 5), large intestine (n = 1), small intestine (n = 2), and lungs (n = 3). These were mostly inflammatory or bacterial in nature. An unexpected but important finding was that six of the cadavers had milk present in their lungs, likely the result of tube-feeding errors, which may have resulted in the deaths of these rabbits. Other results suggest a systemic response to bacteria and inflammation, and dysbiosis could not be ruled out in some cases.